For decades, Stephen King has been crafting a fictional universe that revolves around The Dark Tower.
These standalone works are part of a much larger meta-story.
If you want an intense flowchart of connections, though,check this out.
Pretty soon, Jerusalems Lot is plagued with the undead, who are thirsty for blood.
He leaves the town in shame.
But the real story begins from that point on.
Well, the outcome is pretty shocking and definitely worth a read.
King seems to say that humanity is meant to commit these same atrocities over and over.
Its like an episode ofThe Twilight Zonewithout any hope.
But his big scheme isnt apparent until his very last appearance in the finalDark Towerbook.
At the end of the day, what do all men with power want?
At one point, the two meet inThe Stands version of postapocalyptic Topeka, Kansas.
Its a very nice nod to this book.
AlthoughThe Gunslingerhinted at these other worlds Jake Chambers famous line Go, then.
There are other worlds than these comes to mind The Talismandelves deeper into the concept.
The parallel version of Jack has died, and so hes able to travel between both worlds.
Its the kind of string theory that will make your head spin.
All of a sudden, Jack Sawyer might be the Twinner of Jake Chambers himself.
This is all good fun if you have the patience.
(Yes, its always Maine!)
First and foremost, this big horror novel is worth reading for the ridiculous and gruesome story alone.
Its another great battle between good and evil thats not to be missed.
Lovecrafts Great Old Ones.
King mightve just missed a retcon.
My theory is that hes Roland Deschains Twinner (remember those?)
from a parallel world, although King Roland lived way before gunslinging Roland.
You know, something that wouldnt make her cry at night… Thats the very watered-down summary.
The most important thing you learn in this novel is that Flagg can travel through different worlds and times.
No matter where you are, the evil wizard can get you.
Delain is somehow connected to Mid-World.
Youll have to do the math.
The Random
Insomniais a really weird 800+ page book with some pretty strong connections to the Kingverse.
Yeesh, hes the leader of dark side, okay?
Its a great book about the Vietnam War and a fine addition to his longer fantasy yarn.
Boy is he wrong.
The Crimson King sends his henchmen, the low men in yellow coats, to hunt Brautigan down.
Eventually, he gets him, but not before passing on some of his powers to Bobby.
Brautigan later aids Roland in his quest against the Crimson King.
The first tale, for example, Autopsy Room Four is an insta-classic.
Read all of these stories and call me in the morning.
The Little Sisters of Eluria is a little tale that precedes Roland Deschains quest inThe Dark Towernovels.
His adventure is still in its infancy, but hes already getting himself into trouble.
Remember, all of the vampires in all of these books are bad guys.
At the time, this was Kings first Dark Tower story since 1997sWizard and Glass.
Hed finish up the remaining three books in the next two years.
A fantasy western that leads to the final destination in Kings cycle of stories: the Dark Tower.
Flagg and the Crimson Kings plans in full swing.
The very strange Mid-World the land on which the entire fate of our universe (and others) lie.
You have this guide.
The books are out there.
There are other worlds than these.
Start here: The Gunslinger
*Dark Tower illustrations by Michael Whelan.
John Saavedra will talk to you about the Kingverse all night if properly drunk.
Offer him a drink onTwitter.
